Celanese (NYSE:CE) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.22 EPS

Celanese (NYSE:CE) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.22), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 8.43% and a negative net margin of 12.15%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. Celanese updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 0.700-0.850 EPS.

Celanese Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE CE opened at $54.89 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. Celanese has a 52 week low of $35.13 and a 52 week high of $63.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.18 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a fifty day moving average of $47.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.12.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 24th. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio is presently -0.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Chuck Kyrish acquired 5,000 shares of Celanese stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $41.03 per share, with a total value of $205,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $447,801.42. This trade represents a 84.55% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Celanese by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,115,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $215,255,000 after buying an additional 887,600 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,094,781 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $173,127,000 after purchasing an additional 558,391 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Celanese by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,949,230 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $166,973,000 after purchasing an additional 80,242 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Celanese by 1,539.8% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,133,216 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $90,192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,003,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Celanese by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,703,695 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $71,691,000 after buying an additional 466,683 shares in the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on CE. Tudor Pickering upgraded Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Celanese from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore set a $63.00 price target on shares of Celanese in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $55.00 price target on Celanese in a research note on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.78.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical and specialty materials company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products serving diverse industries. The company operates through two primary business segments—Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain—offering solutions that range from high-performance polymers and specialty additives to industrial chemicals and intermediates. Its engineered materials are used in applications such as automotive components, consumer electronics, medical devices and packaging, while its acetyl derivatives find uses in coatings, adhesives, solvents and personal care products.

In the Engineered Materials segment, Celanese produces a variety of high-performance thermoplastics, polyether-block-amide (PEBA) elastomers and functional additives designed to enhance product durability, thermal resistance and sustainability.